May 9, 2012 | From its redesigned catalogue to its sleek new stands, the Philadelphia Antiques Show looked younger than its 51 years when it opened on Friday, April 27, for a five-day run.

Organized as a benefit for Penn Medicine, the show is one of the oldest and most traditional in the country with a reputation for top-flight American, English, and Chinese works of art, both fine and decorative.

Not everyone welcomed this year's move from Navy Pier to the Convention Center. But one look at this handsome new installation with its low lighting, sophisticated palette and large, airy stands had even the most jaded show goers convinced.

There was plenty to look at but, really, you had to be there. Not to be missed?

Arader Galleries' stunning, 1754 engraving of the Philadelphia harbor and skyline from the Jersey Shore by George Heap and Nicholas Scull, $585,000. It is one of a handful of known examples of this print;

A spectacular sheet iron and copper Angel Gabriel weathervane, $575,000, made by Mr. Whelden for the First Methodist Church in Springfield, Vt., around 1846, at Olde Hope Antiques;

Going to a new home, Christopher Rebollo's Philadelphia serpentine-back sofa, an outstanding example of a rare form combining Chippendale and Federal stylistic elements;

At Hyland Granby, a rare Thomas Buttersworth oil on canvas portrait of the sidewheeler J.B Schuyler , which ferried passengers between Orient Point and SagHarbor, N.Y. ;

William Vareika's pair of newly rediscovered ecclesiastical paintings by John LaFarge,$500,000.

We are told that there were some major sales although perhaps not enough to make all parties happy. Suffice it to say that the Philadelphia Antiques Show summoned every ounce of professionalism to pull off this classy debut at the Convention Center. Look for next year, when the fair dates are set for April 12-16, to be even better